[Where we left off- Ambushed.]
Sivris and Noctru turn to stare at you with an expression of blank-faced shock. Sivris shakes her head.
"How would we even do that? How would that work? What's your strategy here-" a flow of questions trickles from her mouth. She looks baffled. You look at her and smile a little. "I knew you could be reasoned with," you say, and Sivris rolls her eyes.
"Listen- here's the plan. But we'll need help. The whole pride, or at least all the priestesses, need to be on our side, or else it won't work. We take Ademion with us, thus their bubble of protection remains around us. We journey to the center of the canyon, find the portal, and find a way to close it. As we go, we fight off the dark spirits, and Ademion harvests the souls of the ones we kill. When the portal is closed, the canyon will be safe to travel again, and routes through it will reopen. That'll bring souls who die of natural causes, as opposed to sacrifice."
After you're done with your explanation, Sivris and Noctru glance at each other and shrug. Noctru is the first to speak, saying, "I don't see why not." Sivris looks more skeptical. "We'll need guidance. Going straight to Vamera is a risk I'm not willing to take, but I know two other priestesses, Romesa and Pava, who can help us out."
Noctru nods. "And we should probably consult Ademion, too. It's their power that's on the line, after all."
The three of you create a plan. You'll seek out Romesa, Noctru will seek out Pava, and you'll all regroup afterward to talk to Ademion in the Sanctum.
After stamping down your fears, you approach Romesa, where she is preparing for the ritual reluctantly. You can tell she has a good heart- even though she seems rather hostile, she doesn't strike you as a lioness who wants her pride to suffer. She turns to you and snorts gruffly when she notices you.
"Ah, it's the outsider. What could possibly be so pressing that you would seek me out?"
You dip your head and start to lay on the charm thick. You look earnestly at her, tilting your head, and ask her how she's feeling about the ritual.
"I don't like it," she says, then, noticing Vamera's watchful eye trained on her, she coughs. "Um. It's a lot of work. I'd much rather be tending to my god's needs in the sanctum." You nod to her and tell her that you know she's busy, but you wonder if you might be able to talk to her about something. You smile subtly at her and tilt your head away from the crowd of priestesses, suggesting that it's a personal matter. She gives you a curious look, and turns back to Vamera, who sighs frustratedly but waves the two of you away. You lead Romesa to a quiet spot, and begin to tell her absolutely everything. Sealing the portal, allowing Ademion to consume the souls of dark spirits, and making the canyon safe from evil again so that sacrifices are no longer needed. She pays attention to your every word and when you're done, she is nodding.
"I think that would work. You'd need Ademion to take on a physical form if you want them to travel with you. That would leave the rest of the pride vulnerable, but... It just might work. We priestesses are trained in the spiritual and in battle, we may be able to fend the spirits off. And it'll be a while before they even realize that Ademion is no longer protecting us, which buys us time... Yes. If you act quick, it can be done. Pava will know how to seal the portal, I think she researched it when she was younger. Go meet with your allies- she can help you more than I."
[Continue the story- Meet your allies.]
